The past constantly threatens the future in Real, a promising debut feature from writer-director Aki Omoshaybi that earns its title over a taut 78 minutes. The fusion of personal drama and social commentary it employs is occasionally reminiscent of Ken Loach, but the focus on Black British life gives it a fresh focus that is sorely needed in today’s filmmaking landscape.
A confident and heartfelt debut.
Omoshaybi also stars as Kyle, a troubled but amiable out-of-work street-sweeper who has a charming first encounter with store clerk Jamie (Pippa Bennett-Warner), although both feel the need to put on a facade. With the former presenting himself as a lawyer and the latter pretending to be in finance, you know uncomfortable revelations are just around the corner, but their burgeoning romance is authentically awkward and sweet to watch. The warm nature extends to the relationship between Jamie and her young son Felix (Taye Matthew), and Bennett-Warner in particular is nothing less than naturalistic every time she’s on screen.
There’s also something pleasingly novel about Real being a film in which working-class Black people go about their everyday lives without the colour of their skin being a sticking point. It’s all aided by Michael Edo Keane’s evocative cinematography, which only adds to the honest and grounded feel.
It’s a shame, then, that the film’s final 15 minutes feel unnecessarily rushed, swerving into melodrama right when it should be landing some of its biggest emotional blows. Together with multiple coincidences that feel far-fetched and instantly make its world feel a lot smaller, Real starts to feel anything but as it speeds towards its conclusion. The strength of the preceding hour stays with you though, and, during this early stretch, Omoshaybi’s understated approach gels well with the subject matter at play. It’s a confident and heartfelt debut that suggest a new voice worth listening to.